Between Earth and Ice
by Dannrose
Summary: There was no Anna, only Elsa with her ice magic, and Kristoff with his ability to control the earth. Childhood friends seperated for years, Elsa alone in the castle, and Kristoff growing up amongst the trolls, until the eternal winter comes, bringing a chance for friends to reunite once again.
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to another AU. In this one, there is no Anna and Kristoff has a power of his own that functions like earthbending from Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story will run through the first movie first but may go beyond that depending on how many chapters that takes. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter.**_

_**I do not own any aspect of Disney's Frozen, or any other franchises mentioned or represented within.**_

* * *

**Prologue**

Elsa clung to her mother as the horse galloped through the forest, a young reindeer following desperately behind. Above them, the Northern Lights danced in the sky, but she didn't care about them. Unknown to her, a trail of ice formed in their wake, her magic doing what it wanted as she silently cried. Ahead was her father on his own steed, clutching her best friend whom she'd hurt.

* * *

She'd met him in the gardens, he'd been hiding in the bushes because he'd stolen food from the kitchens, and she'd snuck outside to play with her magic, not knowing he was there. He'd then gasped upon seeing her powers, surprising her and causing her to accidently fling ice at him, but with one panicked gesture of his arms, a chunk of earth shot up to protect him.

And their friendship began.

They were completely different, but so similar, Kristoff, as he called himself, was an orphan living on his own. He'd been in an orphanage, but his ability to manipulate earth had caused him to run away because everyone was scared of him, eventually finding himself in Arendelle where he stole to survive. He had no friends (except Sven, who was a reindeer), and was too scared to make any others because of his powers.

Elsa knew that very well.

She was the only princess, meaning she had few friends, and even less because of her ice magic, which her parents made her keep secret. She was always lonely, but suddenly finding someone else who could use magic, changed everything.

They began meeting to play in secret, Kristoff sneaking into the castle, and they began using their magic together, Elsa making things from snow while Kristoff moved the ground around to help construct their play areas.

She never told her parents, they wouldn't like it at all, and she wanted to keep her friend, the one person who understood what it was like to have magic.

Then tonight came.

They'd planned it beforehand, Elsa wanted to show Kristoff around the castle, not just the places he could sneak to, so they agreed to meet up in the gardens at night and she'd show him around while everyone was asleep. It all went to plan, they met up (they even got Sven in this time) and the grand tour began, but they got distracted in the huge ballroom, all that space was irresistible and soon her snow was everywhere as they built Olaf and skated around, Kristoff even getting carried away and moving up some of the stone floor.

But she hurt him.

It was an accident, she'd slipped and hit him in the head with her magic, but he wouldn't open her eyes and she cried out for her parents, telling them everything.

* * *

They came to a valley, filled with boulders, and her father walked among them, calling out, "Please, help us!"

As he spoke, the boulders suddenly rolled towards him revealing themselves to be trolls, an elderly troll came straight up to the king, and her father immediately lowered Kristoff down to him, "My daughter, she accidently struck him with her powers."

The troll spoke quickly, "Born or cursed with her powers?"

"Born."

The troll quickly examined Kristoff, "We're lucky that it wasn't his heart. That is not easily cured, but the head can be persuaded."

He began gesturing and light poured from her friend's head, showing images of them playing together, her magic being replaced by scenes of normal snow.

"I am removing any trace of Elsa's magic from his memories, he'll remember his own powers but not hers but don't worry, I leave the fun."

Task complete, the light faded back into Kristoff, and the troll sighed in relief, "He should now be fine." He gestured to Elsa, "Elsa, please come."

As she approached, he turned and began forming images in the air, emphasising his words, "Your power will continue to grow, and while there is great beauty in it, there is also great danger. You must learn to control it, for fear will be your enemy."

"No." Her father spoke, "We'll protect her. She'll learn to control it, I'm sure. Until then, we'll lock the gates. We'll reduce the staff. We will limit her contact with people and keep her powers hidden from everyone…including Kristoff."

Her mother cut in, "But he has nowhere to go!"

"Your Majesty." The troll bowed, "We will take care of him."

She stared, "But…"

He continued, "We are strongly connected to the earth, we can teach him to control his own powers, while Elsa learns to control hers." He bowed lower, "I promise that we'll raise him like one of our own."

Her father, paused to consider, then nodded gratefully, "Thank you."

* * *

_**PS- So, Kristoff and Elsa were childhood friends, both with powers. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the first main chapter. As you'd expect, this one will be very first movie heavy, but I hope focusing on certain viewpoints will help make it more than just a retelling. Thank you those who've shown their support so far, I know I've updated this rather swiftly, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Thirteen years passed by, and through them all, Elsa remained alone.

She continued to fear her powers, never seeming to be able to control them, not even with her father's advice of 'conceal, don't feel, don't let it show'. She distanced herself, even from her parents, one mistake had lost her a best friend. Even though he'd had magic, Kristoff was still hurt. As she grew older, she knew she'd nearly killed him that night, what could she do to those without powers?

Kristoff remained in her mind, often she wondered how was he getting on. She told herself that the trolls must be looking after him well, and she'd not seen him through the windows of the castle. She'd told her father all the routes he'd used to sneak in and they'd been securely sealed off.

At least he wouldn't be able to unintentionally endanger himself by trying to see her.

She closed down her emotions, retreating further from her parents, until that fateful voyage when it became too late to try and close the gap.

That night, she wept alone, ice covering her entire room for days as she grieved. She all but cut herself off completely, only Kai and Gerda ever really saw her in those following years, and the castle became empty, still and silent, with an odd, ever present chill.

* * *

Kristoff learned and grew in those thirteen years.

He'd found a family again, one that loved him very much. Bulda and Cliff treated him like their own son, and Grand Pabbie taught him so much about his own power.

He could manipulate the earth around him, but only if he had some to use already, and with it he learned to form it into what he needed and return it to how it was when he was done. As he grew older, and began learning the ice harvesting trade, his power became invaluable. He could form shelters whenever he needed them, make terrain easier to traverse, and dealing with wild beasts was easy when you could hurl boulders at them. His family warned heavily against revealing his powers when amongst other humans, they would likely fear them, and he spent more and more time in the mountains, where he could use them without fear of discovery.

He often thought about Elsa, the little girl he'd played with before finding the trolls, and he always kept an eye open for her whenever he was down near the castle. He'd once tried to use his old routes to sneak in, but found they'd all been blocked off. So he kept his eyes open.

But he never saw her, and he wondered why their friendship had ended. Eventually, he assumed she'd forgotten about him.

* * *

The day of Queen Elsa's long-awaited coronation was upon the kingdom.

The town was buzzing with energy, the castle gates hadn't been open in thirteen years, and no one had even seen their future monarch. Every citizen was out in their Sunday best, desperate to catch even a glimpse of their mysterious princess, and foreign dignitaries were pouring onto the docks, each one wondering what they'd find behind Arendelle's sealed doors.

With a grand rumble, the gates swung wide, and guests poured into the courtyard, children gazed about in awe, while their parents reminisced about times when the castle had been more open. Dignitaries politely pushed themselves forward, trying to be the first into the castle's secret corridors, and servants began guiding the invitees towards the chapel for the ceremony.

At the other end of the castle bridge, Kristoff casually loaded the supplies he'd brought, and shared a carrot with Sven. Unlike everyone else, he had no interest in hanging around for the ceremony. The only reason he was in town was because lots of people were after ice to keep various party foods cool for the festivities, he'd made good money that day, and was eager to make more tomorrow when his fellow harvesters were too hungover or still drunk from partying today.

That, and the fact he preferred the company of just Sven more than other people, meant that he had no intention of staying, he was too eager to return to the mountains. Also, he didn't really know the future Queen, the only noble girl he'd ever had contact with was Elsa, the princess was a faceless stranger to him. He'd considered staying to see if he could spot Elsa amongst the nobles, but he'd likely not recognise her now. He also wouldn't be able to just casually walk up and speak to her even if he did, she likely wouldn't remember him either.

Everything ready, he turned to leave, only to narrowly avoid an old man, not even half his height, who glared at him in outrage.

"Out of the way commoner! How dare you impede the Duke of Weselton!"

Kristoff suppressed his annoyed scowl and moved out the way, "Sorry Milord."

The duke snorted and stalked by, remarking loudly to his hulking bodyguards, "Arendelle is mysterious indeed, what kingdom allows the common rabble to be near nobility."

Kristoff narrowed his eyes and tapped his foot lightly. In response, one of the cobblestones raised out of the ground slightly, neatly tripping the haughty duke. Another tap returned the stone to its position, and he made a swift, but casual exit in the other direction, smiling at the duke's irate shouts behind him.

* * *

Elsa stood on the dais before her throne in the Great Hall.

She was the picture of regal calm, but inside her anxiety was running rampant.

She'd almost revealed everything at the ceremony, the orb and sceptre had nearly frozen over as she held them, it was only by dropping them as quickly as she could that she avoided anyone seeing. Since then, she'd been battling her nerves. She hoped she could simply stand and regally observe while the ball continued, fortunately, there was no requirement to dance, so she was ready to turn down any who asked.

She'd already gone through the formal welcomes, and simply observed as the guests mingled.

She could get used to this.

The thought was instantly banished from her mind, once the ball was done, the gates would close once more. Her powers were far too dangerous, she would have to be a distant ruler to keep the people safe.

Kai approached with an elderly gentleman and announced him.

"Your Majesty. The Duke of Weaseltown."

"Weselton!" the duke glared at Kai before giving Elsa far more polite smile, "Its Weselton, your Majesty."

She inclined her head politely, "Thank you for attending."

"I was wondering, as the representative of one of Arendelle's main trading partners, if I may be so bold as to ask you for a dance your Majesty?"

He then did a weird dance thing and bowed, leaving Elsa hard-pressed to not laugh when his toupee flopped forwards.

"I'm afraid I do not dance sir."

He appeared unconcerned and sprung right back up, toupee flopping back to its original position, "Most unfortunate your Majesty. However, as Arendelle's closest trading partner, I would like to inquire as to whether the castle will remain open after your coronation? It has been most mysterious as to why they were closed in the first place."

Elsa felt her fear grow a little, in short, the duke wished to know why the gates had been closed, but she certainly couldn't give the truth. She hoped he'd fall for a carefully worded partial truth, "I'm afraid not. We have been more concerned with our family's privacy these last few years, and I wish to continue our policy. However, I assure you that we will continue to maintain our trade agreements."

He looked as if he was about to say more, but she cut smoothly in first, "Now, please excuse me. I believe it is time for me to mingle a little more."

With that, she stepped down from the dais and carefully wound her way through the hall. She had no intention of mingling, but she needed to get away from anymore probing questions. Her nerves were already tightly wound and being forced to come up with reasons for her isolation were not helping.

Suddenly, a pair of enthusiastic dancers knocked her staggering towards the buffet table and she nearly collided with it, but a swift hand stopped her path and righted her. She looked to her helper and was met with the face of a handsome man, who regarded her with gentlemanly concern, "Are you alright your Majesty?"

She swiftly put together her collected demeanour and answered, "Yes, thank you for your assistance."

She looked to the couple, now looking terrified that they'd caused an international disaster, who were bowing in apology. She gave a reassuring smile, "No harm done, and no need for apologies."

Still bowing, they meekly retreated, and the momentary halt to proceedings ended, as people returned to the ball. She looked back at the man who'd helped her, "Thank you again…?"

"Hans." He supplied, "Prince Hans Westergaard, of the Southern Isles."

As he bowed, Elsa responded with a light curtsy, "Thank you Prince Hans, for saving me from embarrassing myself at my own coronation."

He gently smiled, then noticed something in his hand and held it out apologetically, "Oh, I believe this is yours."

One of her gloves.

Dread seeped into her, it must have slipped off when he stopped her tumble, what if her magic started to be noticed!?

She swiftly held out her hand, "Thank you."

He went to give it back, but frowned at the table, "Is that ice?"

She followed his gaze and saw a patch of ice had indeed formed on the table, right where she'd attempted to steady herself.

Her fear grew, even as she fumbled for excuses, "I don't see how it could be…"

"Look out!"

Hans dived towards the table, and she instinctively threw her hand up. In response, magic shot from her hand, freezing a large, ornamental candlestick in mid-fall, likely unbalanced by her near collision.

At once, the room fell into a shocked fearful silence, the Duke of Weselton backed away from her, "Sorcery…"

Without thought, Elsa fled the room, running for the courtyard. She heard people begin to pursue her and increased her speed. She burst out the main doors, only to find the courtyard filled with townspeople, likely waiting for an appearance from her. They began to cheer but she tried to run through, only to be halted by a throng near the fountains, a woman, looked at her in concern, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Panicked and trapped, she started to back up, but a shout from the castle had her spinning around.

"There's the witch, after her!"

"No please, stay away…!"

Magic lashed from her appeasing hand, striking the stairs and causing the men there to slip and tumble. Memories of Kristoff, tumbling from her strike, burst into her mind. There were too many people, too many she could hurt, too many she could _kill_.

She ran, and kept on running, even across the rapidly freezing fjord, taking no heed of direction nor the storm brewing in her wake.

* * *

_**PS- Naturally the hardest part of this was getting Elsa to reveal her powers when there's no Anna to push her, I hope I managed to pull it off. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the next chapter. We continue onwards with the first movie and spend a lot of time with Kristoff. Thank you for those who've already shown their support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Kristoff was already on his way up into the mountains when the storm sprung up.

The first indication was the sudden drop in temperature, the temperate summer night becoming closer to a midwinter freeze. Then the snow began to fall, gently at first, but rapidly gaining momentum and laying quicker than was natural. Thankfully, since he was heading for beyond the snowline anyway, his winter gear was close to hand, and he wasted no time in donning it all, just in time for the snow to become a blizzard.

With a few gestures, earth slabs rose up to form a rough tent shape, protecting him, Sven and the sled from the vicious elements. It only lasted a few minutes, but by the time it was finished, snow and ice lay everywhere, even more than there would be in a natural winter.

He returned his earth shelter to the ground and proceeded towards the mountains.

He knew, without a doubt, this winter was unnatural. With his own abilities, and growing up around the trolls, he knew magic when he saw it, there was a particular feel to it that he could sense. On top of that, observation told him that the storm was coming from the North Mountain, and snowstorms didn't just form like that.

His sled glided across the snow, Sven pulling it strongly along, and he kept his eyes ahead.

He had to get up the mountain, he needed to know what was causing this storm, or rather, who. If someone else had magic, he had to meet them, he had to find out how they'd lived with it. Plus, considering the fact they were likely to be very unfriendly; he might be the best person to try and stop them.

The snow had stopped falling for the moment, though it lay heavily all around, he briefly wondered how the town would be faring, he'd been ready for cold, but they wouldn't have been. However, he quickly concluded that the various nobles and such like would deal with the town, it was a bit of a bummer for their coronation party though, not to mention his ice business.

Instinct stirred, and he halted Sven to carefully listen.

Something was out there.

A soft footfall could be heard nearby, and he cast his lantern light towards it, revealing the shine of eyes and a set of bared teeth. A low growl came next, and a wolf slunk threateningly into the light.

"Go Sven!"

Needing no further urging, his friend launched himself into an all-out sprint, the wolfpack instantly gave chase, pursuing their quarry with a single-minded determination. They looked thin and almost berserk, they must have been having lean pickings recently, and the unnatural storm probably pushed them over the edge, the pack wasn't going to just give up.

Temporarily letting Sven control their direction, Kristoff turned and motioned with his arm. A chunk of earth wrenched itself from the ground, shedding its snowy coat, and flung itself into one of the wolves. A small earth wall swiftly halted the pursuit of another, as the beast crashed into it. Suddenly, one wolf threw itself towards the sled from the side in ambush, and the ice harvester barely managed to knock it away with an earth pillar.

Sven bellowed, forcing his attention ahead, and he saw the fast approaching gorge.

"Keep going Sven!"

His friend obeyed, and Kristoff stood up precariously on the bumping sled, normally he'd want to have his feet on the ground for this but needs must. He thrust his arms out and up, and an earth ramp burst out from the clifftop.

Sven charged up it and boldly threw himself out over the gap in a mighty jump, but it wouldn't be enough.

Kristoff launched himself onto his friend's back, he snapped his arms towards him desperately, and a platform shot out from the gorge's other side. Sven landed upon the new overhang, but the sled couldn't make it. Before it could drag them over the edge, Kristoff swung his arms once more, and stone blades sprung from the platform, severing the reins.

The sled tumbled down into the gorge, smashing upon the solid rock below. To add insult to injury, the lantern oil it was carrying caught light, turning the whole thing into a roaring bonfire.

Kristoff peered over the edge at his ex-sled in dismay, "And I'd just paid it off!"

He glowered at the snarling wolves on the other side, and spitefully launched a boulder their way, causing them to scatter and retreat into the woods.

He sat down heavily, and looked at his friend, "Now what do we do?"

Sven also sat down, and Kristoff filled in his side of the conversation, "_We can push on to the North Mountain._"

The ice harvester then sighed, "But we don't have any supplies!"

"_We can't go back._"

"Yes, we can."

"_But what about the magic winter?_"

"We can deal with that later."

"_What about everyone else?_"

"They can cope with it being cold for a couple of days."

"_We don't have a couple of days._"

He had to agree with Sven on that one, the magic causing the storm was getting stronger, he could tell. It wouldn't take long for the unnatural winter to become unbearable for everyone.

"_Don't you want to find the person causing this?_"

The reindeer had him there, he did want to meet the one responsible.

"Fine, let's go."

* * *

Elsa gazed over the snow-covered mountains, feeling freer than she'd ever had.

She was safe here, and so was everyone else, she could remain here in the mountains, safe to use her powers without them ever hurting anyone. Now she'd finally released them, she didn't want to stop, she'd formed a stunning staircase up to an amazing ice palace, a palace in which she could live out her days in peace. No duties, no constant supressing of her powers, she was herself, and that was all.

She breathed in the cold air, and sighed contentedly, leaning on the balcony she'd created.

But what about Arendelle?

At that thought, her smile fell. She'd abandoned her kingdom, the one she'd sworn to always do the best for. She shook her head.

She was doing the best for them; the kingdom was far better off without her. The council of nobles had run the country these last three years just fine; they didn't need a ruler. They would settle things down and eventually start a new royal line, there were laws and courses of action in place in the event the royal blood ran dry, and who wanted someone like her on the throne?

She forcefully put her mind at ease, Arendelle would be fine.

With that, she turned back inside with a smile, there were sculpture designs she'd love to add to her new home.

* * *

Guards and servants rushed about the town in the late morning light.

Since Queen Elsa's magical revelation, it had only continued to get colder as more and more snow fell. The fjord was completely frozen over, sealing everyone into the kingdom, all the dignitaries had scurried to restore some semblance of order, with Hans taking the lead in their efforts.

With no one to take over for Elsa, he'd smoothly taken charge, organising supplies to be handed out amongst the people who'd been completely unprepared. Playing the part of the noble prince who thought of the people. He joined with the efforts, the people thanking him gratefully as he'd hoped, and it was the Duke of Weselton who approached him.

"Prince Hans, what are you doing giving away all of Arendelle's tradable goods?"

The prince turned to the pompous man, a look of certainty on his face, "We must make sure the people are prepared to handle this winter in the Queen's absence."

"The queen who caused this catastrophe."

True as his statement was, Hans did not openly agree with the man's words, he still needed to play the role of the optimistic prince that would be understanding of the Queen's powers.

"I've already sent scouts out to try and locate Queen Elsa, when they find her, we will go and attempt to help her end this winter."

"Prince Hans, you know there may be another method of ending this winter."

Hans shifted his demeanour instantly, channelling the character of a chivalrous, and protective, knight, "Magic or not, Her Majesty is still the Queen of Arendelle, and I will deal with anyone who attempts treason."

The duke swiftly back off in appeasement, "Prince Hans, I was not suggesting any such thing."

Anything else he may have been about to say was interrupted by the galloping of hooves, as one of the scouts rode back into the town. The young man (closer to a boy really) dismounted and immediately came and bowed to Hans.

"Milord, this winter seems to be originating from the North Mountain, its likely that Her Majesty is there."

Hans nodded in affirmation, "Thank you, good work."

But the boy wasn't finished, "Also your Highness, I found a destroyed sled at the bottom of a gorge near the mountain. It had clearly gone over the edge and then burned, there was no one in its vicinity, but there were unnatural rock formations on one side of the gorge."

"Unnatural rock formations?"

The scout nodded, "Yes Milord, there was a stone ramp at the gorge edge, the tracks suggest that whoever was driving the sled attempted to use it to jump the gorge. It was too precise and square in design to be natural, also, I've been in the area recently and it certainly wasn't there before. There was also an earth wall, a stone pillar and two loose boulders along the sled tracks leading to the ramp."

The duke gasped, "First ice and snow, and now the earth itself. Is there no limit to her power?"

Hans glanced his way, continuing his act, "There is no proof that these things are a result of the Queen's actions." He addressed the crowds around him, "I need volunteers to accompany me to the North Mountain."

"I can supply you with two men Milord." The duke swiftly answered, and Hans heard him speak to his guards in a low tone, "Find the queen, and end this winter, in any way necessary."

Hans gave no indication he heard the secret orders; the duke's thugs would be useful in gaining Elsa's trust.

* * *

It was slow going without the sled, and morning found him and Sven walking through a frozen forest.

In other circumstances, it would have been beautiful, a grove of willows had been iced over, their long, thin branches hanging down, with their leaves now resembling ice baubles. Sven became excited and began leaping about the woods, deliberately catching the frozen strands in his antlers so the softly jingled like delicate bells.

Kristoff smiled at his friend's antics and stopped to run his hand through some more branches.

"This is amazing."

"I know, but can't there be a bit more colour, like red, or green or yellow. No not yellow, snow and yellow is not a good mix…"

Kristoff whirled around and watched dumbfounded as a small, talking snowman casually ambled up beside him, still chattering away.

"…I mean, its mostly white, so I'm sure we could fit some different colours somewhere…"

"YAH!"

Kristoff jumped back and pulled a chunk of earth into the air, keeping it hovering between him and the snowman.

For its part, the snowman didn't seem too surprised, "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

Olaf opened his stick arms as if to emphasis his statement and Kristoff just stared, he then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, there was something familiar about this snowman.

_Snow everywhere, Elsa, skating, and a snowman they called Olaf…_

He let the earth chunk drop, "Wait, Olaf?"

The snowman nodded, "Yes, that's what I said."

"But, how?"

"Elsa made me."

His mind took a moment to process that, "Elsa made you? Elsa…? _Elsa_ made you!"

How, how had Elsa managed this, and what was she doing in the mountains, she was a noble!

Olaf eyed him curiously, "You know Elsa?"

"Yes!" Kristoff then frowned and crouched down to be closer to the snowman's eye level, "At least, I knew her years ago. We were friends as kids."

This time, Olaf looked thoughtful, then he gave a joyful smile, "Kristoff, it's you!"

He threw himself at the ice harvester and attempted to hug him, Kristoff awkwardly returned it.

"You remember me?"

Releasing him, Olaf nodded eagerly, "Yes, well…sort of. I just knew your name."

Was that a result of the magic that had created the snowman, did Olaf somehow have memories of when they'd built him as kids? Never mind, it wasn't important right now.

"Olaf, is Elsa the one responsible for this winter?"

"Yes, why?"

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes, why?"

"Can you take me to her?"

"Yes, why?"

Kristoff sighed, "Because I need to talk to her, about her magic."

And so many other things.

The snowman gave a comical look of realisation, "Ooh, do you want her to bring back summer?"

"Well…"

Olaf clapped his hands, "I've always wanted to experience summer."

Kristoff gulped, clearly his new companion was not aware of what that would mean, "But Olaf…"

The snowman quickly began running away, gesturing at him to follow wildly, "C'mon Kristoff, let's find Elsa and bring back summer!"

Kristoff watched him go, then shared a look with Sven.

"How am I supposed to tell him he'll melt?"

* * *

_**PS- So yes, Hans is still a manipulative scumbag, and Olaf also joins the tale. I took some liberties with the 'water has memory' thing from the second movie, letting him sort of remember Kristoff. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one focuses on Kristoff a lot, though we see a bit more from Elsa and Hans as well. Thank you those who've shown their support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

As he led them towards the North Mountain, Olaf did not stop talking.

How a sentient snowman who clearly hadn't been alive long, had so much to talk about, Kristoff didn't know. Thankfully, the snowman seemed quite content to chatter away without any form of response back, so the ice harvester let his mind wander.

Why had Elsa kept her powers from him, he remembered her knowing his, so why did he know nothing about hers. Did she not trust him? Why then had he trusted her?

He frowned.

He felt something at this knowledge, some emotion stirred within him, anger, betrayal? He certainly knew that feeling; that tradesman who'd cheated him when he was new to ice harvesting, the other harvester that pretended to be helpful but simply wanted to take advantage of the new kid, the orphanage carers, who secretly beat him because they were scared of his powers. He been hurt and betrayed before, but he remembered Elsa as one of the first few that hadn't done so.

So, he felt hurt then.

He'd shared his secrets with her, but she clearly didn't think she could share hers with him. Is that why he'd been blocked out, had she told her father all his routes into the castle so he couldn't sneak in anymore? After the last time he saw her, he woke up surrounded by the trolls and Grand Pabbie explained that he'd been hurt and offered him a place to stay. Bulda and Cliff became his adopted parents and the trolls taught him how to wield his powers. In all honesty, he couldn't remember how he'd been hurt, he was sure he'd been playing with Elsa, but then his memories became blurry and indistinct until the trolls.

A furry snout nudged his arm, and he looked to the side to see Sven gazing up at him.

"Why didn't she tell me about her powers Sven?"

The reindeer inclined his head, "_Maybe she was scared._"

"But she knew about mine. Couldn't she have told me about hers?"

"_What if she was planning to but didn't get the chance._"

"That wasn't my fault!" Kirstoff exclaimed, "She's the one that got me blocked out of the castle!"

"_You don't know that._"

The ice harvester didn't respond, and simply kept walking, idly fiddling with a ring that hung from his neck.

This was another mystery, he'd had it from the moment he'd started living with the trolls, but he had no idea where it came from. Grand Pabbie had told him he'd know one day, but he should keep it secret until the right time, but he naturally never told him when that time would be.

It was mostly plain, except for a sort of crest engraved on top, and Kristoff always kept it on him. As he'd promised, he hadn't shown it to anyone (except Sven), but it was something else he often wondered about.

"Kristoff, look!"

Olaf's excited shout brought him out of his thoughts, and he hurried on to where the snowman was waving him over.

* * *

Hans gazed over the edge of the gorge, looking down at the now charred remains of a sled.

Behind him, several of the volunteers who'd come with him were examining the stone ramp at the edge fearfully. He agreed that it couldn't be a natural formation, it was too square and precise to have been naturally formed, and the other rock formations further back were equally unusual.

Perhaps Elsa was indeed more powerful than he thought.

Fortunately, there'd been less in the way of snowfall since the initial storm, so there were still the tracks of the sled running up to the ramp. It appeared that the queen had received help in her flight from Arendelle, but from who.

"Prince Hans?"

He turned away from the gorge and addressed the volunteer who'd spoken.

"Begin searching for an alternative route, we will not be able to follow Queen Elsa the way she has gone."

The gathered people nodded and broke into groups to do as they were told, and Hans looked back down at the ruined sled.

They needed to be careful.

* * *

Kristoff's approach to Elsa's new palace had not gone unnoticed.

She'd seen him approaching and initially planned to refuse him entry, but then she'd recognised his face.

It had been years, but since he'd been both her best and only real friend, she knew exactly who it was. He'd grown strong over the years, now a broad-shouldered young man who'd fleshed out, but she was willing to bet he still had the same gentle eyes he'd had as a child.

She partially registered the presence of the reindeer and the smaller figure, but she was focused on her old friend.

Why had he come?

That question was easily answered, he had magic of his own, she remembered well how he could shift the ground around with simple gestures, no doubt he'd recognised magic and came to investigate himself.

But why did it have to be him?

He'd been the one she'd hurt before, the one she'd then cut ties with and blocked out, he may not remember her powers, but he would remember their old friendship, did he hate her?

She wouldn't blame him if he did.

Elsa remained undecided on whether to see him or not, she had to stay away from others, keep them safe, but he deserved to know why. Out of all the people in the world, he would understand, he would see why she had made the choices she had.

She would let him in, if only briefly.

* * *

What Olaf had found was beyond words.

A staircase of flawless ice, stretching elegantly up towards a palace of ice that stunned the mind. While not incredibly intricate, it towered upwards and held a myriad of colours within its walls, and every inch was flawless ice, the like of which he'd never seen.

Sven became over-excited at the sight and attempted to run up the stairs. He quickly lost traction and slid down, but instantly tried again with the same result.

"Hold on buddy."

Kristoff got his arm around his friend and partially lifted him down the stairs, "I think you'll have to stay down here Sven."

His friend sat down patiently to wait, while Kristoff followed Olaf up the stairs, the little snowman talking happily.

"Just wait till we meet Elsa, we can talk, bring back summer…"

"Actually Olaf, I think you should wait outside."

Olaf looked crestfallen, "Why?"

"Elsa might not want loads of us bursting in on her." He explained, "Could you just give us a minute first?"

Olaf huffed, then sat down on the top step, and the ice harvester gave a small smile before striding to the door.

He then hesitated, just as he was about to knock.

Elsa was just beyond this door, would she remember him, even if she did, would she want to see him?

"Just knock."

Olaf's voice filtered through, and Kristoff took a deep breath before rapping on the large doors three times. There was a pause, then they opened slightly, and he looked at Olaf once more, "Remember, give us a minute."

He then stepped inside.

If anything, the interior was more stunning than the outside, the whole thing seemed to be built off the snowflake pattern in the centre of the floor, and a set of grand stairs rose up before him and split into two to circle up to the floor above. The colours within the ice were even more profound inside, giving the whole place an ethereal light.

As he gazed about in awe, a voice spoke quietly.

"Kristoff?"

He slowly turned towards the stairs and laid eyes on Elsa for the first time in years.

It was without a doubt, her. Though she'd obviously grown, she still held herself with the same, regal air that she'd had even as a child, her platinum blonde hair, which used to be kept so neatly in a form of bun, now hung down in an elegant ponytail. She smiled softly down at him, as he answered.

"So, you recognise me?"

"Yes, of course."

He looked around the palace once more, "I didn't know you could do this."

"Neither did I." She sighed, "I've held my powers in for so long, I never knew that I could create something so…" she paused, looking for the word, "…beautiful."

He smiled, "It is beautiful."

The silence lingered, both simply admiring Elsa's work, until Kristoff finally sighed, and gently asked the question he wanted answered.

"Why didn't you ever tell me Elsa?"

Guilt flashed across her face, and she looked down sadly, "It wasn't like that Kristoff."

"Then what was it?" He looked up at her, hurt on his face, "You knew about my powers, so why didn't you tell me about yours?"

"Kristoff, it's…complicated."

"How is it complicated?" He stepped forward, "Why couldn't you tell me, you know I would've understood." He gestured around him, "Your magic is incredible, why would you hide it?"

"Because it's not like yours."

"How is it not like mine!?" He demanded, "What makes it so different…?"

"Because you can control yours!"

He stopped at her sudden, raised voice, and she took a breath to continue more quietly, "You always could control your powers, you didn't shift the ground unless you wanted to, whereas me…I couldn't."

"Sixty! Here I come!"

The door swung open as Olaf charged in, greeting Elsa joyfully, "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa moved back in shock, and the little snowman slowed and halted beside Kristoff, as she breathed softly, "Olaf?"

He looked up at her, "You made me."

"I did?"

Kristoff crouched down beside him, "He's just like the one we made as kids, remember?" He smiled up at her, "See, your powers don't have to be dangerous, once we undo this winter, I can help you control them."

Elsa froze, her face a mask of horror, "Winter, what winter?"

He stopped, "You don't know?" He gulped slightly, "The whole kingdom is locked in a magical winter."

"The whole kingdom!?"

He shot to his feet, trying to calm her down, "But it was only an accident, all you have to do is undo your magic, problem solved."

"It's not that simple!" Elsa began frantically pacing, "I don't know how to do it!"

She began fleeing up the stairs, Kristoff running after her, "Elsa, Elsa!"

She didn't look back, "Kristoff no! Go back! I won't hurt you, not again."

"What do you mean, again?"

They'd reached the floor above, and she halted beside a set of double doors on the other side of the room. Her shoulders slumped, and she didn't even turn to look at him.

"The truth is, you did know about my powers, once." She glanced at him briefly, "You'd snuck into the castle looking for food, you saw my powers and then showed me yours." She faced him, a fond smile on her face, "We started playing together all the time, nearly every day." The smile fell, "Until I hurt you, I accidently struck you in the head with my powers, we took you to the trolls and they were forced to alter your memories, removing any trace of my magic, in order to save you."

She looked him directly in the eyes, "I had to isolate myself, I couldn't risk hurting anyone else and now, now I've hurt my entire kingdom, the one I was supposed to rule."

Kristoff's eyes widened; he'd known about her powers before? Then Pabbie (it had to have been Pabbie), altered his memories to save him? And Elsa was the new Queen!?

His mind was running a mile a minute, but there were far more pressing matters, like the winter, especially since Elsa was still talking.

"I can't control it, I thought distance was enough, how do I fix this?"

"Elsa." He started moving towards her, "Elsa, all magic has a way of being undone, I know that there's a way for you to end the winter."

Her magic began swirling around her, "I can't do it Kristoff! My magic isn't like yours!"

He fought against the building storm, "That doesn't matter! Elsa, I want to help you, you don't need to isolate yourself this time!"

She was wringing her hands, panicked as the blizzard became more intense, "There's too much, too much fear, you need to leave!"

"You can fix this!"

"I CAN'T!"

At her final shout, the storm condensed then lashed out, striking out in a ring all around Elsa.

Kristoff couldn't stop it.

It was too fast, too sudden, even with his own powers there was no chance. There was no earth close enough for him to use to block anyway.

The magic struck hard, feeling like it was piercing into his very core as it flung him back several paces.

"Kristoff!"

Olaf ran up to his side, along with Sven, who must have somehow battled his way up the ice steps to reach him. Kristoff pulled himself up, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

He looked straight to Elsa, who was backing away, "See, this is why you have to go."

He forced himself to stand, "No Elsa, I'm not leaving you here."

"Yes, you are."

She used her magic.

* * *

_**PS-So there we go. I found the confrontation scene difficult because this Kristoff is coming from a very different place than Anna was in actual cannon, I hope I managed to pull it off. Please let me know what you thought. **_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the next chapter. This one continues to run through the movie, and I think you can guess what starts to happen to Kristoff. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"GO AWAY!"

With that shout, the giant snowman Elsa had conjured unceremoniously tossed them out and away from the palace. They bounced down the slope a little until finally coming to a halt, and Kristoff shoved himself up from where he'd landed face first.

"She threw me out!"

Olaf's head had landed away from his body, and he remarked idly as his body wandered around looking for him, "That went well, I mean, it could've gone better, but it could've been worse."

His body finally found his head, and it plonked it back on just in time for the snowman to start running after Kristoff, "Where are you going?"

"Home." The ice harvester answered, "I need to speak to Grand Pabbie."

"But why?"

Kristoff stopped and sighed, "He changed my memories, I have to know why and what exactly happened that night." He looked back at the ice palace, "I don't think she needs to keep blaming herself."

He continued walking, "We have to get off the mountain and to the Valley of Living Rock, that's where my family are."

"Uh…Kristoff."

"When we get there, we can speak to Grand Pabbie, and get some answers, hopefully definite ones."

"Kristoff."

"I mean, he does like his riddles and metaphors, though they tell me he has good reason for them, but he always gives a straight answer if he can."

"Kristoff!"

"What!?" He finally focused on Olaf, who'd been trying to get his attention, "What is it Olaf?"

The little snowman pointed at his head, "Is your hair supposed to be turning white?"

"What, no." He shrugged, "Its just an odd white streak of hair, I've always had it, I think."

"No, I mean, it's turning white right now, all of it."

Kristoff tugged at his fringe, pulling it down to try and see it. As expected, the white streak he'd always had was there, but the rest of his fringe was also changing colour. He then became aware of the chill inside his chest, the one that hadn't gone away since Elsa had hit him with her powers.

"Elsa's magic." He breathed, "I think something happened when her magic struck me."

Sven and Olaf stared at him in concern, and the snowman posed the question, "What do we do?"

"Go to Grand Pabbie." Kristoff answered determinedly, "If Elsa's right, then he cured me when I was a kid, so he'll be able to help me now."

They set off down the mountain.

* * *

"Conceal it, don't feel, don't let it show. Keep it together, don't feel, don't feel."

Elsa paced frantically, repeating her mantra, trying to bring her powers back under control, to little success.

She'd hurt Kristoff, she'd hurt him again, and then thrown him out, how could she do that? No! He knew where the trolls were, they'd heal him again, and he wouldn't come back, he'd stay safe. All she had to do was suppress her powers again.

But they'd been released and showed no signs of backing down.

"Don't feel it, don't let it show."

She kept trying, trying to suppress, once she did, she'd head further north, get far away from anyone so that she would never be a threat.

"Keep it together."

Except she wasn't keeping it together. She thought she was free, but now it was clear that she wasn't, not even close. Her powers were completely out of her control, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Around her, spikes had started to grow from the walls.

* * *

It had taken a long detour, but the group had finally reached their destination.

And what a destination.

The palace was stunning, towering over them causing them all to gaze upon it with awe, and a couple with a hint of trepidation. Hans had to admit he was impressed, the queen truly had exceptional power, he'd really have to play his cards right on this one.

He turned to address those who'd come with him, "Remember, we are here to take Queen Elsa alive, do not harm her."

He didn't miss the look that passed between the duke's men, but he made no indication he'd noticed it. Instead, he led the march towards the stairs.

The moment they got too close, a massive mound of snow moved, revealing a towering snowman, that stepped ominously towards them.

"Go away!"

Immediately, the group pounced, scattering to the sides as it brought its hand crashing down and swarming the creature. The snowman gave an angry roar, ice spikes growing from its limbs to emphasise its anger. It swung its arms about, knocking two men flying to land, unharmed, in a pile of snow. The rest started to fire ropes over it, in an attempt to tie it down, but it reared strongly, snapping the ropes.

Hans made his move.

While he may be far from inheriting a throne, he was still a prince and had all the training that came with the title. He skilfully rolled between the snowman's legs, slashing right through one of them. While it didn't seem to actually hurt the creature, the leg separated from the foot, unbalancing it and causing it to tumble backwards into a ravine. It desperately tried to grab the staircase to halt the fall, but it simply broke the ice, leaving the snowman to drop with a bellow.

Hans paused for a moment to catch his breath, then instantly looked for the duke's men.

As expected, they'd used the attack as cover to charge into the palace in order to take out the queen, and he wasted no time in pursuing them. He burst through the double doors, but no one was there, though he could here the sounds of fighting above him. He swiftly scaled the steps, taking two at a time, and thundered into the upper room.

He could see one of the men, pinned to the wall as ice spikes slowly stretched towards his neck. The other was being pushed towards the edge of the balcony by a wall of ice controlled by the queen.

As little as he cared for the men, Hans still had a role to perform.

"Elsa!" The queen faltered at her name, "Don't be the monster they think you are."

Her attacks halted, and she looked towards him. If she was going to say anything, she never got the chance as the pinned man levelled his crossbow at her.

"No!"

Hans bounded across the room, trying to wrestle the weapon from his hand. If the queen died, then his chance at Arendelle's throne died to. The weapon fired, releasing its bolt at the ceiling, shattering the chain holding the massive ice chandelier.

As it fell, Elsa dived to the side to prevent it from crushing her, barely making it before it smashed into the floor, scattering shards of ice everywhere and releasing a shockwave that threw everyone back.

Thankfully, Hans wasn't thrown far, and he quickly recovered. Around him, the others stirred with groans in the sudden stillness.

The prince strode over to the queen's side, finding her completely unconscious, probably rendered that way by her proximity to the shockwave's epicentre. He addressed two of the others, "You two, take the queen. Treat her well."

They simply nodded and carefully lifted and carried Elsa out of the room, as Hans turned to the duke's men.

Firstly, he approached the one that was still pinned to the wall, the thug was attempting to free himself, but halted his efforts at the prince's approach.

Hans eyed him coldly, his voice level, "I informed the Duke that I would deal with anyone who attempted treason."

The man gulped, but Hans showed no pity, "You should've considered those words as well. You and your friend."

* * *

Night had long since fallen by the time Kristoff, Sven and Olaf reached the Valley of Living Rock.

The latent magic around the area, not to mention the warm vents, seemed to be keeping Elsa's winter out, no snow or ice could be seen (except Olaf). Despite this, Kristoff could feel the chill inside him, one that was spreading. He briefly stopped at one of the vents, trying to warm himself up and maybe slow the magic, it seemed to help, but he was sure it wouldn't work for long.

Soon, they reached the trolls, and Kristoff started greeting them.

"Hey guys!"

As he wandered among his family, talking away, he didn't notice Olaf staring at him in shock, and almost begin backing away, only to stop as the trolls woke up and began rolling towards Kristoff. They uncurled and Bulda greeted her adopted son joyfully.

"Kristoff's come home!"

Instantly, the troll children swarmed him, telling him all their news.

"I grew a mushroom!"

"I earned a fire crystal!"

"I passed a kidney stone!"

Kristoff attempted to speak over them, "Where's Grand Pabbie?"

"He's sleeping."

The children tried to continue talking to him, but Bulda, noticing something up with her son, swiftly intervened, "That's enough everyone, Cliff, go get Grand Pabbie please."

Her husband swiftly scurried away, and she approached Kristoff, "Dear, what's wrong, what's happened to your hair?"

Before he could answer, the crowd parted for Pabbie, as he rolled straight to the ice harvester, Cliff close behind. Wasting no time, he held Kristoff's wrist and looked up at him in horror, "This magic, have you found Elsa?"

"Yes, Grand Pabbie."

The elderly troll shook his head, "And you've been struck by her magic."

"But you can heal it can't you, I mean, you've done it before."

Pabbie blinked in surprise, "How did you know?"

"Elsa told me." Kristoff looked down, "She told me that you changed my memories as well."

Pabbie sighed, "I'm sorry Kristoff, if there was another way, I would've taken it, but magic of this kind is not easily dealt with. We intended to tell you one day, but I think we feared too much what you would think of us, we didn't want to lose you from our family."

"I understand."

And he did understand, magical cures were fickle at best, you couldn't just snap your fingers and make anything better. Most only worked on ailments and injuries caused by magic, and, like Kristoff's, Pabbie's magic had its limits and rules. If he said there was no other way, then there probably wasn't.

The troll wouldn't meet his eyes, "And I'm sorry again, for I have no way of curing you this time."

The rest gasped, Bulda and Cliff especially, and Kristoff crouched down further, "What, why!?"

Pabbie gestured despairingly, "If it was your head, then I could've done something as before, but this time, she's frozen your heart. Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart, and it's the kind of act that we cannot do for you, despite our love for you."

Bulda came forward, "But Pabbie, there must be something we can do?"

The elder simply closed his eyes, "I'm afraid not, no matter our love for Kristoff, this is something we cannot fix."

She gave a small sob, and Cliff held her, even as he spoke desperately, "Then who can?"

"I cannot say."

The rest of the trolls gasped, and fell into mournful silence, but Pabbie looked up at Kristoff.

"Kristoff, is Elsa in the kingdom, or has she fled?"

"She's fled to the mountains." He answered, "But her magic has created a winter all over the kingdom, and there's no one leading it if she's not there."

"Then you must go to the castle." The troll instructed, "Arendelle needs you there, I fear that there are people with dark hearts who will take advantage of this crisis. You must show your ring to the people there, King Agnarr himself gave that to you when he brought you to us, it will help you to get them to understand that Elsa is not a monster." He clasped Kristoff's hand, "Doing this might be enough, for all of us, including you."

Kristoff simply nodded, then called to Sven, "Sven, let's go!"

The reindeer swiftly came, allowing him to climb onto his back. Once his friend was seated, Sven turned and galloped off towards the castle, leaving their worried family behind.

* * *

Once they were out of sight, Cliff approached the elder.

"Grand Pabbie, did you send him to the castle to try and save him?"

The elder nodded, "Yes." He looked to the rest, "An act of true love cannot be planned or forced, telling him exactly what to do would've rendered it useless."

He looked back in the direction Kristoff had gone.

"All I can do, is guide him to the right place, and hope."

* * *

_**PS-As you may have guessed, I believe that Pabbie is deliberately vague so as not to stop the right thing from happening by accident. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. We keep cracking along with the first movie, but I intend to have this story continue beyond it. Thank you those who've shown their continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It took time for Elsa to awaken.

Once she had, she quickly registered that she was in one of the castle cells, but that wasn't her first concern. She dived towards the window, only to be nearly pulled off her feet by the thick manacles, covering her hands like hideous gloves. Tugging them experimentally, she edged back towards the window, and her heart dropped as she saw the white, frozen landscape beyond, confirming Kristoff's words and her fears.

"No."

The door rattled, revealing Prince Hans and she immediately started speaking, "Why did you bring me back here? You have to let me go!"

"Queen Elsa, I want to help you, but you need to end this winter."

"Don't you see, I can't!" She pleaded desperately, "That's why you have to let me go, I need to get far away, so far away that I can't hurt anyone anymore."

He stared at her for a moment, seemingly considering her words, before answering, "I'll see what I can do."

He turned away and left her alone in the cell, and she looked back out at the winter.

Her winter, the one she'd inflicted on them.

She fell to her knees, the longer she was here, the worse things would get, she looked down at her manacles. If Hans wouldn't get her free, then she'd have to free herself.

* * *

Sven galloped onwards, he was clearly tired, but he pushed on regardless as Kristoff gradually began losing strength.

His hair was now almost completely white, and he was barely clinging on to his friend's back, Olaf was skating along on his stomach and he suddenly began veering off course, "Sorry guys, I'll catch up to you all later!"

Kristoff didn't have the strength to even answer, the chill inside him had spread throughout his body, he was now shivering, even more so as they galloped over the deep snow that was burying the town.

The castle still stood strong, and Sven headed straight towards it, across the bridge and right to the gates.

Guards were present and they moved in front to bar the way in but hesitated when they saw Kristoff on Sven's back. One of them, possibly some sort of more senior officer, approached and spoke in concern, "Lad, what brings you here?"

He'd already signalled instructions to the others, and one had rushed back in to get some help for the clearly sick man that had appeared at their gates.

Kristoff struggled to respond, "Need to speak to someone…about the winter."

He shakily showed the ring as Pabbie instructed, and the officer gasped, before swiftly hauling him off Sven and helping him to the castle, "I need someone to help this boy, immediately!"

In response, two servants, who seemed to have some authority appeared out of the doors and swooped to Kristoff's side. They glanced at the ring he had and exchanged a look of understanding, before taking over from the officer, who continued barking orders, "You there, report to Prince Hans and inform him of what's happened, and you, do the same for the other dignitaries!"

Two men swiftly obeyed but Kristoff barely noticed as he was whisked into the castle, even as blankets were wrapped around him, and the doors closed behind him, shutting the worried Sven outside.

* * *

He was guided to some sort of large lounge room or study, where a roaring fire was already burning brightly. He was sat down as close as possible to it, while the two servants fussed around him, the woman speaking quickly, "Oh dear, you're so cold. When the late king told us, you might appear one day, I wasn't expecting it to be like this."

Kristoff was shivering from the cold, but he still frowned, "You were expecting me?"

She softly smiled, "Why yes, ever since the King reduced the staff years ago, he told us you might come to the castle one day Kristoff."

Before he could even reply, the door burst open as several men, most of them appearing to be nobles of some kind, entered in, lead by a young, red-haired man, who was immediately asking questions.

"What is it, what has happened?"

The male servant stood and gave a quick bow, "Milord, this young man is Kristoff, he holds one of King Agnarr's rings and needs to speak with you about what is happening. However, he's dangerously cold."

The noble nodded, "I see. Please get him more blankets and something hot to drink."

The servant bowed, and he and the woman swiftly left, the other nobles began to move as well.

"Prince Hans, we'll leave this to you."

With them all gone, only Kristoff and Prince Hans remained, said prince knelt down beside him, "What happened to you?"

"Elsa…she, her magic…it froze my heart."

"What?"

"Not on purpose!" Kristoff quickly revised, "She…she was scared. She didn't mean to hurt anyone, she didn't mean to cause the winter, you have to find and help her."

The Prince answered, "Queen Elsa is already here at the castle. She's been placed in the dungeon."

"No!" Kristoff attempted to stand, "You can't leave her there, she's not a monster and can undo all of this. You have to let me help her!"

Hans held his shoulder, preventing him from standing, "Please, you're clearly in no state to do anything, and how do you know her?"

The ice harvester sat down once more, "We were friends as kids, we played together a lot until she accidently stuck my head with her powers. I was saved by my adoptive family, but I forgot all about her magic. I think that's when the King shut the castle gates and he left me the ring."

The Prince frowned, "Can't your family help you this time."

Kristoff shook his head, "No, 'only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart' and I'll never be able to find one of those in time. I need to use what little I have left to help Elsa; she's not a monster and she can undo this winter if she just stops believing she is. I have to get her to understand that."

Hans smiled gently, and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, "I understand. I will do everything I can. However, convincing the other nobles will be difficult, please help me to prove your story by giving me your ring. It will allow me persuade them."

Without further thought, Kristoff handed the ring over, and the Prince took it gently. He admired it for a moment, before slowly standing, a smirk growing over his face, turning his handsome features ugly.

"Thank you, Kristoff, for making my plan so much easier."

"What, what plan?"

The prince, began wandering the room, casually snuffing the candles, "I am thirteenth in line to the throne, if I was to inherit anything I'd have to marry into another royal family. With only one daughter, Arendelle was perfect. I came to work my way into Elsa's favour and gain her hand, but then I spotted signs of her magic." He scoffed, "All those other fools at the ceremony failed to see her icing over the orb and sceptre, but I didn't, and I revised my plan."

His frozen as he was, Kristoff's mind was barely keeping up, but still Hans continued.

"It was relatively simple to force her to reveal her powers, she was apparently so on edge that a simple tipping of a candlestick was enough. True, I didn't expect her to be powerful enough to set off an entire winter, but that in itself was a boon. Without her, Arendelle was without leadership, allowing me to smoothly take over. I initially wanted to play the role of the chivalrous prince, who believed in the queen, and become her ally if she returned to the throne or make the hard decision of executing her for the good of the kingdom. As Arendelle's saviour, it wouldn't take long for me to be named king, but now you've made that part an inevitability."

Kristoff tried to struggle upright, lifting his arm in an attempt to move the stone beneath him, but his powers wouldn't respond, "How, how have I done that?"

Hans cruelly doused the fire, rendering the room dark and cold, and turned to face the ice harvester and hold out the ring.

"Simple, by giving you this ring, King Agnarr made you a member of the Royal Family, though I do not know why he would do such a thing, which gives you a legitimate claim to the throne. However, you've now given this ring to me, thus giving exactly the same privilege."

He patted Kristoff on the head, "Thanks to you, all that's left is to execute Elsa, and bring back summer."

With that, the prince turned away, and walked out, locking the room behind him.

* * *

As he approached the main dining room, Hans modelled his face into a perfect mask of sadness.

He pushed the doors open, and walked in slowly, sitting heavily in the seat at the head of the table, even as the other dignitaries gathered around him.

"Prince Hans, what happened, what did the boy have to say."

He visibly hesitated, making sure he put on the right performance, "It seems, that the boy, Kristoff, was the queen's oldest friend, and beloved by the royal family. He attempted to reach to her, to help her end this winter." He dropped his eyes, voice strained theatrically, "But she's killed him, her magic froze his heart and Kristoff has died."

Horrified gasps came from the gathering, and the duke spoke slowly, "She killed her oldest friend." He looked to the others, "There's no denying it, she truly is a monster."

Hans looked up, his face a mask of emotional pain, "However, Kristoff's sacrifice will not be in vain, he lived long enough to return here and give me this."

He placed the ring upon the table, eliciting surprised murmurs from the others.

"He placed Arendelle's future in my hands, and I vow to honour his choice."

A hush fell upon them all, only for it to be carefully broken by the duke, "Prince Hans, I believe it is now clear what we must do."

They nodded, and another dignitary addressed him, "Milord, Arendelle looks to you now."

Though he was beaming on the inside, Hans gave a long, despairing sigh.

"Then, it is with a heavy heart, that I sentence Queen Elsa, for the murder of Kristoff, and her attack upon Arendelle, to death."

* * *

Elsa tugged at her chains.

Already, ice had formed over her manacles, and it was rapidly spreading over the cell.

She had to escape.

She pulled harder, even more so as she heard voices approaching her cell. In desperation, she started filling the manacles with ice, slowly pushing the metal apart. The voices reached the door, and those beyond tried to force it open, but ice had already covered the door's edges and hinges.

"Milord, she's frozen the door shut."

"Then force it open, batter it down if you have to."

Elsa renewed her attempts, and released a burst of magic, shattering her chains. Her hands free, and the people outside starting to batter the door down, she fired a burst of magic at the wall and, weakened by the ice as it was, it shattered, giving her passage outside and to freedom.

Once again, she ran.

* * *

Up in the cold room, Kristoff was losing his battle.

The chill inside him was spreading through his limbs, sapping his strength. He'd attempted to move the stones around the door in order to escape, but they merely quivered slightly. His magic failing him, he curled on the floor, instinctively trying to retain the heat he was rapidly losing.

Then, the door rattled.

He lifted his head in hope, "Help…help…me."

It rattled more, then clicked and swung open, letting in Olaf who pulled one of his twig arms out of the lock and gave a short burst of laughter as he wandered in, "There's so many rooms here, I wonder which one this is…Kristoff!"

Upon seeing him, the snowman dashed to his side, "What happened, did you speak to them about Elsa?"

"Olaf…"

"Wait, I'll get you warm!"

He began dashing about the room, throwing some logs in the fireplace and lighting them.

"So, this is heat…Yowch! But don't touch it!"

Thin arms began guiding him to the fire, even as Kristoff protested, "Olaf, the heat will melt you…"

"Some people are worth melting for."

He looked at the snowman, to see him smiling fondly, only for his smile to literally start slipping as his face began to melt. He quickly shoved it back up, "But maybe not right this second."

A window blew open, releasing a blast of freezing air, and Olaf sprinted to it and slammed it shut, before returning to Kristoff, though behind him to shield himself from the fire's heat, "Now, how do we get you better?"

"Olaf." Kristoff sighed, "There's no way to do it, you can't just produce an act of true love out of nowhere, and I've already failed Arendelle, handed the kingdom over to someone who only cares about the throne."

"You've not failed!" Olaf insisted, "We just need something to help you."

"Like what?" The ice harvester asked bitterly, "If my family can't produce an act of love to satisfy the spell, then who can?" He shook his head, "My only friends beyond them were Elsa, Sven and you."

"I'm one of your friends?"

Kristoff looked round at the snowman's hopeful face, and smiled, "Yes, of course. You're here now, and I helped build you before."

"What about Elsa?"

He closed his eyes sadly, "I don't know."

Olaf lightly tapped his shoulder, and guided him round so he faced the snowman, "Kristoff, I remember the night you both built me, sort of, and I know that you were both friends." He held one of Kristoff's hands, "It was a friendship that doesn't just go away, you came back here, even though you're about to lose everything, just to try and help her. I don't know much, but I know that's love, and you both made a promise."

"What promise?"

The snowman smiled, "You made a pinkie promise."

"What...?"

Dim memories echoed in his mind.

"_Elsa, we're best friends, right?"_

_The little girl smiled, "Yes, we are, and we always will be."_

_The boy frowned, "You promise?"_

_Elsa grinned, and held out her pinkie, "I pinkie promise."_

_Kristoff smiled back, and held it his pinkie, "Then I pinkie promise as well."_

_They linked their pinkies and shook them once._

Olaf grinned, "And you can't break a pinkie promise."

Kristoff couldn't help but smile back, it was such a childish thing to say, but from Olaf, it was somehow profound.

"Thanks Olaf."

The window blew open again, and the snowman once again rushed over to it, but halted as he went to shut it, "Wait I see something going on out there!" He snapped an icicle, and began looking through it, "Its Elsa! She's trying to run from the castle across the bridge, but who's that following her? Wait! A storm's blown up!"

Kristoff dug deep and hauled himself up, "Olaf, you've got to help me!"

"What, where are you going?"

"After Elsa!" Kristoff looked down at him, "Hans is going after her, I have to stop him, and there's something I have to say to her."

* * *

_**PS-So the end of the movie approaches. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the final chapter detailing the events of the movie. Any after this will look at in between this and the second movie. Thank you those who've shown their support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Kristoff staggered out the door, pushing himself down the corridor, only to be forced to retreat by rapidly growing icicles blocking the way forward.

He and Olaf tried the other way, just to find that way blocked as well, and the ice was closing in. Kristoff gritted his teeth, and flung his arm out determinedly, in response, a chunk of the stone floor sluggishly heaved itself up and fired at the ice. It shattered a path through, and, with Olaf's help, he hurried through before it closed up again.

They quickly came to a T-junction, and he looked desperately looked between the two paths.

"Which way!?"

A bellow resounded from the right, and a most glorious sight could be seen approaching.

"Sven!"

The reindeer had clearly found a way in, how, Kristoff didn't know, but right now he didn't care. His friend skidded up beside him, and gestured to his back, without hesitation, Kristoff and Olaf jumped on, the snowman calling out commandingly, "Onwards Sven, to Elsa!"

Sven obliged, and galloped of down the corridor he'd come up, nearly running down several guards and servants. He charged through the dining hall, jumping up and running along the table, sending the Duke of Weselton flying and shocking the other dignitaries. Naturally, they were more than a bit surprised at the reindeer, but even more so to see it being ridden by the very young man they'd been told was dead.

Knowing something was very wrong, they all followed.

* * *

A raging storm, no doubt caused by Elsa, had swept up, causing a near whiteout all over the town.

Regardless, Hans pursued her beyond the castle gates and onto the bridge connecting it to the main town. He could just about see the queen herself, staggering through the blizzard near the middle.

He shouted above the violent winds.

"QUEEN ELSA!"

She halted and spun, searching for him and calling back, "Please, don't stop me, just make sure the kingdom is looked after!"

She was about to keep running, but his next words halted her.

"Elsa, your friend, Kristoff, he came to castle!"

"Kristoff!?"

"Yes, but he was cold as ice, his hair had turned white, your magic had frozen his heart!"

He made sure she heard his next, cruel words, "He's dead!" He stabbed the verbal knife deeper, "You killed him."

"NO!"

As he hoped, it was the last straw for her, the thing that would push her into despair. Elsa collapsed to her knees, the storm extinguished in an instant, as the queen sobbed.

"I was trying to keep people safe, keep him safe."

She was clearly completely unaware of anything around her, and Hans made his move. He walked slowly up behind her and drew his blade.

He grinned as he prepared to strike.

* * *

Sven, his direction unerring, charged out through the front doors, and headed straight for the main gate.

The guards saw him coming, and looked ready to intercept the reindeer, but the officer from earlier saw Kristoff on his back and shoved them out of their way.

"OPEN THE GATE!"

In record time, they flung the gates open, allowing Sven to thunder through and across the bridge, the guards, servants and dignitaries following behind.

The storm that had been raging suddenly abated, giving Kristoff full view of what was ahead.

Hans moving to kill Elsa.

"FASTER SVEN!"

His friend obliged, but it wouldn't be enough, they would still be too late.

Though his strength was all but gone, Kristoff daringly launched himself off Sven's back and into the air, he clasped his hands above his head in mid-flight, and swung them down as he landed, striking the bridge.

From the impact point, the bridge stones rumbled and cracked forwards, a moving line heading straight for the prince.

Hans spun at the noise, just in time to see the oncoming attack but not stop it. The stones beneath him heaved upwards, throwing him into the air and over Elsa's head, to eventually land heavily in the snow behind her.

Elsa herself had witnessed the entire thing and Kristoff staggered towards her, his strength finally at an end, he stumbled and fell forwards, only to be caught by her arms and lowered gently to the ground.

"Kristoff?"

* * *

A deathly calm had fallen over the area, townspeople braved the outside and silently gathered further down the bridge, giving the Queen and her friend space. Guards, servants and dignitaries gathered on the other side while Sven and Olaf moved closer to the pair, and everyone waited.

For their part, Kristoff and Elsa didn't notice, as the Queen cradled her friend's head in her lap.

He stared up at her, "Elsa."

She blinked away tears, "Kristoff, your heart…?"

He smiled, "I know, but there's something I need to say."

She simply nodded, "Anything."

His face went serious, "Elsa, when we stopped playing together, it hurt. I thought you'd ditched me, like everyone else. As time went by, I thought I'd got over it, but I guess I really hadn't. I didn't want to get close to anyone, and kept to myself, only trusting Sven and my family."

"I'm sorry."

"Elsa, please." He continued, "You kept your powers secret, you created this winter, and you've frozen my heart." He smiled, "But that doesn't matter, because there's something I need you to hear.

He looked straight into her eyes, "I forgive you Elsa, I forgive you for hurting me as a child, I forgive you for shutting yourself away, I forgive you for this winter, and I forgive you for freezing my heart."

Elsa simply stared, "But how can you mean that?"

He smiled, "Because I do, in fact, I promise that I do." He shakily, and with great effort, lifted his hand and offered his pinkie, "I pinkie promise, and you need to pinkie promise that you won't keep blaming yourself."

She made no effort to stop her flowing tears, for the first time in years, she felt truly free, and yet burdened by grief.

Slowly, she linked her pinkie with his, and shook it once, "I pinkie promise too."

His smiled became contented, "Remember, you can't break a pinkie promise."

With those words, the magic finally completed its work, and Kristoff's body turned to ice, freezing his soft smile in place.

Elsa unashamedly began to weep as Sven let out a mournful sound and lay next to his friend. Those gathered nearby solemnly lowered their heads, and some of the guards, the officer included, saluted.

Then a quiet cry from Olaf took their attention.

"Look!"

He gestured at Kristoff, and all eyes fell hopefully upon the young man.

It was slow at first, but colour began to return to his outstretched hand, it spread down his arm and across his body, gaining speed. Suddenly, his frozen breaths resumed, and his eyes blinked as his legs began to move. He carefully sat up and looked round at Elsa.

"I'm okay?"

"Kristoff!"

With a joyful shout, the queen threw herself at him and flung her arms round his neck, as he gratefully returned the hug. Sven, overjoyed, pounced upon them both and furiously nuzzled his friend causing them both to laugh.

Beside them, Olaf watched in wonder as the gathered crowds began cheering, "Forgiveness? Of course! An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart! Forgiveness is a form of love."

Elsa halted, "Love?" She looked down, "Love will thaw…that's it!"

She stood and raised her hands, around her, the snow and ice began to disintegrate into snowflakes and rise upwards into the air. However, it wasn't just around her, all over the kingdom, the winter began to dissipate and rise into the sky. Grass began to poke through, and summer flowers lifted as the snow covering them vanished, the clouds also disappeared, allowing the sun to once again shine down and heat the land. All traces of Elsa's winter formed a giant snowflake in the sky, which vanished with a gesture of her hands.

At the sun's warmth and the return of summer, the cheering began anew, and Olaf joined in, "This is the best day of my life!"

Unfortunately, the heat began to do its work and his body rapidly began to melt, "And possibly my last."

"Hold on." Elsa swiftly conjured her magic, restoring him and creating a small snow cloud above him.

"My own personal flurry!"

Kristoff laughed, "Well, you've definitely earned it."

The snowman grinned.

Then, Elsa seemed to realise that there were other people gathered nearby, and her smile fell. She looked to the townspeople, and hesitated, but a voice from behind her pulled her attention.

"Queen Elsa."

She turned and faced the dignitaries. There was a pause, until one of them stepped forward and bowed, "Welcome home your Majesty."

As one, the others followed his lead and bowed as well, alongside the servants and guards, a look behind revealed the townspeople doing the same, and she bowed back.

"Thank you, everyone. I swear to attempt to always do what's best for Arendelle from now on."

A groan interrupted proceedings as an unconscious Hans finally came round.

He pulled himself to his feet, using the side of the bridge to help, and Kristoff marched over to him, no one making any effort to try and stop him.

He stood in front of the prince and waited for him to notice his presence.

"Kristoff?" Hans blinked in confusion, "But I though Elsa had frozen your heart?"

Kristoff folded his arms, "Yes, but unlike yours, mine could be thawed." He thrust his hand out, "Now, return what you took from me!"

The prince looked left, then right, seeing all those who'd gathered and visibly gulped. He quickly pulled Kristoff's ring from his finger and handed it back.

Kristoff smiled, "Thank you."

He then stamped his foot and the section of bridge Hans was on flipped over, dumping the prince straight into the water below, before flipping back into place.

Around him, everyone laughed and cheered as some guards unhurriedly went to fish the floundering prince out.

* * *

Days passed, very busy days.

It took a lot of time to get everything sorted after the unnatural winter. Everyone's side of the story had to be gathered and pieced together, and Elsa was working overtime to fix anything her initial thaw did not sort, eager to prove herself worthy of the second chance she'd been given.

Of course, everyone else also pitched in, sorting repairs, checking on crops, helping those badly affected by the event, and with Elsa personally seeing to many things, the old barriers between the royal family and the people had all but been destroyed.

Kristoff himself had also not been idle. Since everyone now knew about his powers as well, he found himself using them far more often, repair work was easier when you could lift workers up on earth pillars. Also, he did feel responsible for repairing the bridge, since he was the one that tore it up in the first place. Strangely enough, people took his powers in their stride, likely because after Elsa, more forms of magic were now less shocking.

In time, things finally started to settle down.

* * *

Kristoff stood before the painting of the late King and Queen, frowning thoughtfully as he fiddled with his ring.

Hans had been shipped off earlier (one of the dignitaries was returning him to the Southern Isles to be punished by his brothers), Arendelle had cut trade with Weselton, the people were accepting Elsa as queen despite everything and he could use his own powers freely without garnering hatred, he should be happy, but something was bothering him.

Why had the King given him the ring when he was younger?

The heads of staff, Kai and Gerda, had informed him that what Hans said about it was true, and that King Agnarr had told them that he might come back to the castle one day. In short, he was basically adopted into the royal family.

But why?

"Kristoff?"

Elsa came up beside him and glanced at the ring in his hand, then at the painting.

"Wondering why?"

"Yes." He glanced at the ring, "I mean, why did he give it to me? He barely knew me, why would he want to adopt me. Was it just because of my powers?"

"No." Elsa's answer was definite, "I'm certain it wasn't." She stared up at the painting, "I think mother had a hand in the decision as well, she had always been perceptive, so I guess she and father saw something in you." She looked down at her hands, "I think he hoped that I would gain control of my powers quickly, and then he'd bring you back to the castle. He just thought it best to keep us separate until I had control. Had I done so sooner we might've grown up together."

"Don't blame yourself."

She smiled, "I won't, I've done enough of that."

She turned her smile on him, "Either way, I'm certain that they considered you part of the family from that night."

Kristoff looked thoughtful, "You know, my family never made me any of my clothes, they don't make theirs from the same materials as humans, yet I always had human clothing that fitted me. Whenever I needed more, I'd just mention it, and then they'd somehow appear in the following days." He shrugged, "I always assumed that they somehow went out and bought some, but maybe not."

Elsa frowned, "How long have you had that shirt?"

He blinked in confusion, "Don't know, it's lasted really well, so maybe four years…"

He stopped as she moved behind him, and pulled his collar, "What are you doing?"

"Aha!" She gave an excited exclamation and then moved back round beside him, "My mother often handmade clothing, it was something of a hobby for her, and she always stitched a little symbol into what she made, to show it was hers." She grinned, "And I've just found that symbol in the collar of your shirt."

He stared, "Wait, what?"

Her grin grew wider, "She made that shirt, and since she only had a daughter and you're definitely not my father's build, she made it for you."

It took him a moment to understand, "So, my clothes growing up…"

"Were probably all made for you, by her." She patted his arm, "Like I said, they considered you part of the family from the moment my father gave you that ring. They might've done more, but the royal family constantly disappearing into the mountains would start to look suspicious, someone may have found the trolls and you if that had happened."

She looked at him, "Are you okay?"

"Yes…yes, I'm fine." He smiled, "It's just, I had someone else looking out for me all that time."

Elsa returned the smile, "Yes you did, so you better take good care of that ring." She nudged him, "Little brother."

He chuckled, then frowned, "Wait, _little_ brother?"

She'd started to walk away, but she turned back, "Of course, if I remember correctly, I'm four months older than you."

She continued walking and Kristoff laughed and followed, though he lingered long enough to say one thing to the King and Queen.

"Thank you."

* * *

_**PS-So there we go, the 'act of true love' was forgiveness this time around. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is just fluffiness so not much in the way of plot. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Kristoff flopped dramatically face first onto the couch and Elsa chuckled.

"Tired Kristoff?"

He simply groaned, and she laughed.

"C'mon now, meeting with the nobles wasn't that bad."

He lifted his head to stare at her with one eye, "Seriously? One of them wouldn't shut up about gardening, another kept glaring at me, and the rest kept wanting to see me move rocks about. I thought Gerda was going to kill me when I pulled one of the stones out of the wall!"

"You did put it back, and they all loved it."

"But I'm still exhausted." He rolled over, "You know that using my powers tires me out."

She sat near his head, "I know, but it certainly made things run smoothly. I was still fearful that they'd all hate me."

He smiled up at her, "Of course they don't hate you, except for maybe Lord Grubbins, but I think he hates everyone."

Elsa sighed, "That he does, I don't think I've ever seen him looking anything other than grumpy."

"He looks like a donkey, a grumpy old donkey."

She jokingly clipped his ear, "You're not supposed to speak about the nobles like that."

He grinned mischievously, "Hey, I could've used the less polite name for a donkey."

She pretended to look horrified, "Kristoff! How could you even consider using such language, surely Bulda taught you better?"

"She did." He grinned, "But the other ice harvesters weren't nearly so polite."

They both laughed and fell into silence.

While she was making a joke out of it, dealing with the nobles was exhausting. All of them wanting her ear to discuss something or other, not to mention all the standards that had to be kept, just because they'd always been that way.

It wasn't helped by the few traditionalists still around. While Arendelle was fairly different from other kingdoms there were still those clinging to the old, unfair ideals. These nobles had little appreciation for Kristoff, ring or otherwise, and they also were continually critical of her, leading to her exercising great patience when dealing with them.

"Do I really have what it takes for this?"

Kristoff's question disturbed her from her thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"Being royalty." He answered, "I mean, I grew up in the mountains, I'm not supposed to be mingling with nobles or taking an active role in running a kingdom." He sighed, "Kai, Gerda, and everyone else insists on calling me 'Prince Kristoff' now, but I don't want to be considered a prince."

She gently smiled, "You're doing fine Kristoff, no one is expecting you to magically know what you're doing from the beginning."

He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up her hand, "Nobody who matters." She continued, "And I'm sure Kai and Gerda will stop using your title if you ask, in private at least, and Olaf never does."

He smiled at that since the snowman did indeed never use their titles, always just calling them by name.

"I afraid I can't stop everyone doing it but look at it this way, the people call you that with respect, I can see it. Some nobles just do it because they have to, but they are in the minority compared to those than genuinely believe you deserve it." She grinned, "You know how loudly they cheered when we officially announced your new position, let me tell you, they didn't do that because they had to."

He didn't look fully convinced, but he smiled anyway, "Thanks Elsa."

He then gave a huge yawn, and she gently prodded him, "Does someone need a nap?"

He glared at her tiredly, "I'm not a child Elsa."

"No, of course not." She assured him.

Though he really did look tired, not surprising since he wasn't used to dealing with nobles. He may be able to do the physically demanding work of ice harvesting all day, but the work of nobility was very different. It tired you out mentally, even more so if you weren't used to it, and in some ways that was worse than physical tiredness.

Either way, Kristoff looked exhausted, and could probably do with a rest, especially since he had been shifting rocks and boulders around in the gardens for the nobles, which was physically tiring. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that he needed a rest, so she needed a way to convince him.

Or maybe not convince him at all.

"Kristoff?"

He looked up at her again.

"Do you want to hear a song my mother used to sing to me?"

He always wanted to hear more about her parents, wanting to know more about the people who'd sort of adopted him. It was this she was relying on.

"A song?"

Elsa nodded, and he smiled hopefully, "Sure, I'd love to hear it."

She smiled, and Kistoff moved himself into a better position to listen, she waited a moment, then began.

"_Where the north wind meets the sea  
There's a river full of memory  
Sleep my darling safe and sound  
For in this river all is found_

_In her waters deep and true  
Lie the answers and a path for you  
Dive down deep into her sound  
But not too far or you'll be drowned_"

As she sang, she watched as Kristoff's eyes started to flicker and close, his breathing becoming deeper and more even. She smiled and kept going.

_"Yes she will sing to those who hear  
And in her song all magic flows  
But can you brave what you must fear  
Can you face what the river knows_

_Where the north wind meets the sea  
There's a mother full of memory  
Come my darling homeward bound  
When all is lost, then all is found_"

His eyes were now fully closed, but he muttered in a tired voice.

"That was a dirty trick."

Regardless, he drifted into slumber, and Elsa smiled once more before gently getting up. Retrieving a blanket, she gently draped it over him, and stole out the room quietly.

* * *

She let him sleep until dinner, as did the rest of the staff, and when she came back into the room, she found Olaf sitting on the other couch, scribbling on some parchment.

The snowman hopped off the couch and ran to her, whispering hoarsely, "Elsa, Kristoff's sleeping, so you need to be really quiet."

She suppressed a giggle at his urgency, and nodded, "Okay Olaf, but he does kind of need to go and eat dinner."

He looked back towards the sleeping Kristoff, "Oh, but he looks so adorable like that."

Looking at the former ice harvester, Elsa did have to agree.

He'd rolled over so he was now on his side, the corner of the blanket having been pulled into his arms as if he was cuddling it. The rest of it was still covering him and she couldn't help but find it adorable.

It was almost a shame to wake him up.

She walked over to him, and softly shook him. He stirred and muttered, but didn't wake, so she shook him a little harder. This time, he did move more, grunted and groaned a few times, then yawned and stretched, blinking sleep from his eyes, he looked up at Elsa.

"You tricked me."

She was completely unrepentant, "You got a good rest though."

He didn't deny it, instead he asked something else, "What time is it?"

"Time for dinner."

"Dinner!"

He almost fell of the couch in his haste and shot to his feet.

"Well, let's go!"

Laughing, Elsa followed him out the room.

* * *

_**PS-Here ends this week's fluff. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


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